Lenexa, KS

Lenexa is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,434. making it the ninth-most populated city in Kansas. It is bordered by the cities of Shawnee to the north, Overland Park to the east, De Soto to the west, and Olathe to the south.

History

Twelve years before the town of Lenexa was platted, James Butler Hickok staked a claim on at what is now the corner of 83rd St and Clare Road.. Filed in 1857, the claim was not far from the Kansas River, and was southwest of Westport, Missouri, and the start of the Santa Fe Trail. The trail meandered through this area on its way to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

On March 22, 1858, Hickok was elected one of the first four constables of nearby Monticello Township. Later, Hickok became a scout for the Free-State Army, a sharpshooter, and eventually, one of the most famous folk heroes of the American West, Wild Bill Hickok.

At about the same time as Hickok filed his claim, a census of the Shawnee Indians living in the area was being taken, and one of the residents listed was Na-Nex-Se Blackhoof. She was the widow of Chief Blackhoof, the second signer of the 1854 treaty that ceded of the Kansas Shawnee Indian reservation to the United States government.

In 1865, the Kansas and Neosho Valley Railroad was organized to take advantage of favorable new land laws. It later changed its name to Missouri River, Ft. Scott and Gulf Railroad, and in 1869 purchased a right-of-way from C.A. Bradshaw in the area that is now Lenexa, with the stipulation that a depot be built on the property.

Bradshaw also sold to Octave Chanute, a railroad civil engineer, who platted the town in 1869. Legend states that the first town name proposed was "Bradshaw", but Bradshaw modestly refused, and the name "Lenexa", a derivation of the name Na-Nex-Se, the name of Shawnee Chief Thomas Blackhoof's wife, was adopted.

Geography

Lenexa is located at (38.964689, -94.759535). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is covered by water.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 57,434 people, 23,934 households, and 15,432 families in Lenexa. The population density was 1,685.7 per square mile (650.8/km). The 25,308 housing units had an average density of 742.8 per square mile (286.8/km). The racial makeup was 78.05% White or European American (75.9% non-Hispanic White), 6.41% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American or Alaska Native, 4.15% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 2.87% from other races, and 8.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 8.34% (4,790) of the population.

Of the 23,934 households, 27.7% had children under 18, 51.8% were married couples living together, 24.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present, 28.1% of households consisted of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 2.9. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 39.7% of the population.

The city's age distribution was 21.7% under 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females 18 and older, there were 106.5 males.

The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $90,487 (with a margin of error of +/- $3,777) and the median family income was $110,925 (+/- $4,040). Males had a median income of $59,365 (+/- $4,837) versus $42,653 (+/- $1,613) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $49,977 (+/- $2,070). Approximately, 2.8% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under 18 and 3.1% of those 65 or over.

The ancestry of Lenexa in 2020 was 25.5% German, 13.3% Irish, 13.2% English, 3.9% Italian, 2.3% French, 2.1% Scottish, 2.0% Polish, 2.0% Norwegian, and 1.9% sub-Saharan African.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census 48,190 people, 19,288 households, and 13,065 families were living in the city. The population density was . The 20,832 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.4% White, 5.8% African American, 0.4% Native American, 3.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.0% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 7.3% of the population.

Of the 19,288 households, 33.7% had children under 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were not families. About 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.00.

The median age in the city was 36.6 years; 24.7% of residents were under 18; 8.3% were between 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 U.S. Census, 40,238 people, 15,574 households, and 10,559 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 16,378 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.50% White, 6.50% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 3.63% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.60% from other races, and 1.61% two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.97% of the population. By ancestry, 24.8% were of German, 12.4% English, 12.1% Irish, and 7.2% American ancestry.

Of the 15,574 households, 35.1% had children under 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were not families. Around 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the age distribution was 25.7% under 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

Economy

Lenexa is the birthplace of Garmin and the regional headquarters of Kiewit Construction.

Largest employers

According to the city's 2015 ''Comprehensive Annual Financial Report'', the largest employers in the city are:

Government

Lenexa is the home of a records center managed by the National Archives and Records Administration. The facility stores federal records from agencies in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, including Department of Veterans Affairs and the Internal Revenue Service. The facility is also known informally as the Caves, and is known to store items from the trauma room at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas, where John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead following his assassination. As of November 2023, the mayor of Lenexa is Julie Sayers and the city manager is Beccy Yocham.

Education

Lenexa does not have a public school district of its own. Instead, Lenexa students go to either Shawnee Mission School District, Olathe School District, or De Soto School District schools. It is also home to a handful of private schools. Lenexa's first private high school, St. James Academy, opened in 2005. The Johnson County Library has a branch in the Lenexa City Center. Wichita-based Friends University also has a branch in Lenexa. The International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education is based in Lenexa; its competitive peer, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, is based in neighboring Overland Park.

Culture

Events

Each June, the city hosts the Great Lenexa Barbecue Battle, which is also the Kansas state championship. Lenexa was known as the Spinach Capital of the World in the 1930s, and celebrates with the Spinach Festival every September.

Religion

Lenexa is home to the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, a parish founded in Kansas City in 1906 and moved to Lenexa in 2006. The parish constructed a new Byzantine style church and cultural center. The church hosts a SerbFest every year in the summer and a Food Festival and Bazaar in the fall.

The Church of the Nazarene, an evangelical Protestant denomination, which was headquartered for many years in Kansas City, moved its international headquarters to Lenexa in 2008.

Healthcare

On April 13, 2023, construction began for AdventHealth's new hospital, AdventHealth Lenexa City Center.

Transportation

Johnson County Transit provides local bus service in and around the city. The nearest intercity transit services are located at the Kansas City Union Station and Kansas City Bus Station.

Notable people

People who were born in or have lived in Lenexa include:
* Warren Ault (1887–1989), historian
* Cam F. Awesome (born 1988), boxer
* Baron Corbin (born 1984), WWE Wrestler
* Madison Desch (born 1997), gymnast
* Drake Dunsmore (born 1988), football tight end
* Wild Bill Hickok (1837–1876), a gunfighter, staked a claim on at what is now the corner of 83rd St and Clare Road.
* Lucas Rodríguez (born 1986), soccer midfielder
* Paul Rudd, (born 1969), actor
* William Shaw (born 1955), biochemist, autism researcher
* Grace VanderWaal (born 2004), winner of the 11th season of the NBC TV competition show ''America's Got Talent''
* Jason Wiles (born 1970), an actor, director, and producer, starred as Maurice 'Bosco' Boscorelli (1999–2005) in the television series ''Third Watch''.
* Ron Worley (born 1945), Kansas state legislator

See also

* Oregon-California Trails Association

References

Further reading

External links

City of Lenexa

Lenexa - Directory of Public Officials

Lenexa city map
KDOT

{{Authority control

Cities in Kansas
Cities in Johnson County, Kansas
Cities in Kansas City metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1869
1869 establishments in Kansas